Albright wins 3rd Marion Masters

Sunday

Jun 17, 2012 at 5:12 PM

Steve Albright put things together when they mattered most in Sunday's final round of the 30th Marion Masters.

By Richard BurtonCorrespondent

Steve Albright put things together when they mattered most in Sunday's final round of the 30th Marion Masters.Albright took the lead for good with an eagle on the 17th hole and clinched the event with a par on the final hole to win the event by one stroke over Kelly Gosse at the Ocala Golf Club."I finished strong," said Albright, who fired a 67 on Sunday to earn the championship. "I ran into some trouble, but I was able to pull out of it."Albright's eagle on 17 turned the tide, which saw him shoot even par on each of the first two days on his way to finishing with a 211 over the three-day tournament."I made a very lucky shot (on 17) and it was about a one-in-50 chance," he said. "That was the first time I had the lead on the back nine and I figured (Gosse) would birdie the last hole, so I knew I had to go out and make a par."It feels good to win this tournament. There are so many excellent golfers in the field."With the win, Albright joined Daniel Owen as the only three-time winners of the Marion Masters.Albright had previously won the event in 1996 and 2008.This time around, he was able to celebrate Father's Day with his sons Miles and Gray and wife Stephanie."I love that this tournament is on Father's Day," said Albright, a former standout golfer at Forest High and the University of North Carolina. "It meant a lot to have my family here. My boys are getting into golf big time and this was a lot of fun for my family."We're so lucky in Marion County to have such a strong group of amateur golfers and tremendous volunteers to make events like this one possible. They really put a lot of effort into making it special for everyone involved."Gosse fired a 68 on Sunday to close the tournament at 212. He had started the day in a three-way tie with Albright and Owen, the first-round leader and defending tournament champion.David Griffin, who was three back of Owen after the first day before climbing into first place after the second round by two shots after a 69, shot even par Sunday and was three shots back of Albright.Meanwhile, Jay King had his second straight impressive round to finish tied with Griffin at 214.King shot a 69 on Sunday, one day after a round of 68 at the Silver Springs Shores Country Club.Owen (215) ended the event with a 71, following an opening-round effort of 70 that found him in the lead and Saturday's 74.Joel Durrance (219), Kenny Godwin (220), Bryan Odaiyar (220) and Joe Donnelly (221) also were in the mix on the final day.

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